PINEVILLE — A former McDonald County Prosecutor’s Office clerk accused of fraudulently obtaining donations after telling people she had cancer has been acquitted.

The acquittal came Nov. 20 for Tammy R. Young, 45, of Goodman. In 2008, according to the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office, Young told coworkers she had been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the bones and soft tissues, most commonly the pelvis, femur, humerus and ribs. She allegedly told them she had been treated for the disease at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Okla., and at the former St. John’s Regional Medical Center and Freeman Health Systems, both located in Joplin.

In response, the coworkers held two fundraisers for her treatment, with the events netting about $10,000.

In 2009, McDonald County Sheriff Robert Evenson alleged subpoenas of all three hospitals revealed Young had not been treated for cancer at any of the facilities. Young later told friends she had been treated for cancer in Mexico.